Essex NHS Trust ordered to pay attempted murderer £18k
It's after he cut himself while trying to kill his wife
Last updated 18th Feb 2022
A Romanian carpenter who severely injured his own hand with a kitchen knife while attempting to murder his wife has won nearly £18,000 from a legal challenge against an Essex NHS health trust.
Dorinel Cojanu stabbed his former wife with an eight-inch blade at their home on June 16, 2015, and in the process sustained deep cuts on two fingers on his right hand.
He was sent to Bedford prison on remand on June 17 but was not seen by medics after Essex Partnership University Trust cancelled pre-arranged day surgery at the Royal Free Hospital listed for June 22.
Cojanu alleged that he would have made a “full recovery” had he had surgery to repair damaged tendons within 10 days of suffering the original injury.
The trust, which provided medical services to the prison, admitted a decision was made on June 19 to cancel his appointment for surgery at the Royal Free Hospital, asserting the treatment was available more locally and that a security risk arose when prisoners were given the dates for their appointments in advance of their appointments.
The trust asserted that it “wrote” to the Lister hospital on the same day asking for an appointment locally. That was delayed.
After the operation was cancelled, the trust was “negligent” in failing to fax the urgent referral letter to the Lister hospital on June 19, 2015.
As a result of the trust’s failure to treat him Cojanu lost 15 per cent functionality of his right hand, a judge has now ruled.
‘Irrelevant how he injured himself’
Mr Justice Ritchie said it was irrelevant how he was injured and that “it matters not whether he had suffered the injury opening a tin of beans, in gang warfare or whilst attempting to murder his wife”.
The trust is considering whether to appeal the decision.
At the original criminal trial the jury heard Cojanu, who was 30 at the time, had come into the kitchen when his wife was cooking, picked up a bladed knife and then stabbed her three times.
Their three children were in the house.
Cojanu was sentenced to 11 years for attempted murder in December 2015.
A spokesperson for Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust said: “Our legal team are in the process of reviewing the guidance received from solicitors and will make a recommendation about an appeal in due course.”